Shark Tank is one of my favorite shows on television right now. Maybe it’s because I run my own business, but I have a lot of respect for entrepreneurs who believe in their idea enough to step out and pitch it in front of a national television audience. So when KUSA-TV in Denver approached me about teaming up to produce a show based loosely on the concept of Shark Tank, I jumped at the opportunity.

For the past five years, The University of Northern Colorado’s Monfort School of Business hosts their Entrepreneurial Challenge (E-Challenge). The idea is for entrepreneurs from all over the state to pitch their business ideas in the hopes of winning $50,000 in prize money. In the past, the challenge has taken place on campus, but this year the University thought it would be fun to work with title sponsor KUSA to put the presentations on TV.

More than 30 companies submitted proposals. The University sorted through the business plans and whittled it down to the five best. The companies then had the opportunity to introduce and pitch their ideas on television to the three judges who would pick the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

We taped in KUSA’s Studio B on a Tuesday afternoon and the show ran on a Saturday evening. The turn around was tight, but the show turned out great. We won’t tell you who won, but if you’re interested in seeing the next great business ideas in the state of Colorado you can watch the entire show on the Monfort School of Business website.